Happy Christmas Advent!

Advent is here and the countdown to Christmas has begun! I have begun my shopping which is very easy to do when you're surrounded by all the lovely shops in Bath.

Christmas is coming!

Bath is looking very festive with some new Christmas lights and one of my favourite sights is of this carriage and horses trotting through the streets. I've been sitting writing and all of a sudden the clip-clop of horses hooves can be heard outside my window - it's wonderfully atmospheric and transports you back in time immediately!

Carriage rides around Bath

One of my favourite items at this time of year is an advent calendar and I'm not talking chocolate ones. My favourite kind is the old-fashioned, traditional sort with an alpine scene or nativity and lots of glitter. I love opening the doors and discovering a new picture inside every day. Here's a link to one of the best and here's another - I've always loved them since I was a child!
If you're fond of e-cards, Jacquie Lawson have a wonderful selection that you can send and have an advent calendar that you can download on your desktop.

If you're thinking of Christmas shopping I hope you'll consider some Jane Austen inspired books for Christmas - Searching for Captain Wentworth is on special offer all through December on Amazon and in paperback format too on all sites including the UK and US!

Here's a lovely snippet from Persuasion which describes a wonderful family Christmas scene.

Immediately surrounding Mrs. Musgrove were the little Harvilles, whom she was sedulously guarding from the tyranny of the two children from the Cottage, expressly arrived to amuse them. On one side was a table occupied by some chattering girls, cutting up silk and gold paper; and on the other were tressels and trays, bending under the weight of brawn and cold pies, where riotous boys were holding high revel; the whole completed by a roaring Christmas fire, which seemed determined to he heard in spite of all the noise of the others. Charles and Mary also came in, of course, during their visit; and Mr. Musgrove made a point of paying his respects to Lady Russell, and sat down close to her for ten minutes, talking with a very raised voice, but from the clamour of the children on her knees, generally in vain. It was a fine family-piece.

Anne, judging from her own temperament, would have deemed such a domestic hurricane a bad restorative of the nerves, which Louisa's illness must have so greatly shaken. But Mrs. Musgrove, who got Anne near her on purpose to thank her most cordially, again and again, for all her attentions to them, concluded a short recapitulation of what she had suffered herself, by observing, with a happy glance round the room, that after all she had gone through, nothing was so likely to do her good as a little quiet cheerfulness at home. Louisa was now recovering apace. Her mother could even think of her being able to join their party at home, before her brothers and sisters went to school again. The Harvilles had promised to come with her and stay at Uppercross whenever she returned. Captain Wentworth was gone for the present, to see his brother in Shropshire. "I hope I shall remember, in future," said Lady Russell, as soon as they were reseated in the carriage, "not to call at Uppercross in the Christmas holidays."